MS Coast ‘media minister’ faces child porn charges. He had 9,900 images, police say.
A computer software developer and “Media Ministry” member at a Mississippi Coast church faces federal charges for distributing and possessing child pornography, court papers say.
Cameron “Cam” Cotrill, 66, of Vancleave, is jailed without bond pending trial in January. Federal authorities allege he had accessed 9,900 sexually explicit images of children engaged in sex acts on his computer, court records say.
After his arrest, Cotrill’s attorney, James Farrior, unsuccessfully appealed to a judge to grant Cotrill bond pending trial.
In his decision to deny Cotrill’s bond, U.S. District Judge Robert Myers cited the substantial evidence in the case, the lengthy prison sentence Cotrill faces if convicted, safety concerns for the community, his “significant personal wealth,” and family ties outside the United States.
The judge also noted that in addition to the large amount of alleged child porn found on his computer, authorities determined Cotrill allegedly used his extensive computer knowledge to restrict his wife’s Internet access to the files.
In character letters sent to a judge before the bail hearing, family, friends and fellow parishioners described Cotrill as a man committed to his family, faith, and community and praised him for his “knowledge of God’s word.”
A senior adult pastor who has known Cotrill since 2022 described him as a volunteer and member of the church’s “Media Ministry” who “consistently demonstrated conscientiousness to his ministry responsibilities here.”
“His appearance has always been beyond reproach, and he has a very optimistic attitude about life,” he said. “In his Christian walk, I believe you would find him solid in his beliefs. He is a man of integrity and good leadership skills, which are virtues we need today.”
Since he’s been jailed, his family has set up a GoFundMe account to help raise money for Cotrill’s legal defense. The account deactivated on Tuesday.
In a pitch for donations, his daughter said her father “had been wrongfully arrested on two counts of cybercrimes.”
She described him as a “loving husband ... a great father and amazing grandfather ... and the greatest friend you could ever have.”
The alleged crimes occurred, she said, after her father retired as a computer software developer and started working as an independent contractor.
“It was in the process of research that his system was targeted by malware and then flagged by government agencies,” she said. “And he is absolutely undeniably innocent of the charges levied against him.”
Cotrill has denied any wrongdoing.
If convicted of both federal charges, Cotrill faces a prison sentence of up to 40 years and fines of up to $500,000.
The Sun Herald reached out to Farrior for comment on the case, but he said he didn’t want to make a statement until he had time to talk to Cotrill.
Cotrill is jailed in Pearl River County.
This story was originally published October 17, 2023 at 11:16 AM.
